CNET First Look

Hands-on with the LG G Watch R and its circular display

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The concept of the smart watch isn't as new as it once was, but are they finally starting to look good?
I'm Luke Westaway for CNet here at IFA 2014 in Berlin with the LG G Watch R. Let's take a look.
So this isn't LG's first smart watch, but unlike it's predecessor, the G Watch, this one, as the R in the name suggests, is rounded.
It's got a stainless steel frame and an interchangeable leather strap.
And I have to say, it's looking pretty good and it feels quite classy as well.
It still feels quite chunky considering that it's a watch.
But this display is actually pretty small.
It's, a 1.3 inch display.
It's got a 320 by 320 pixel resolution.
If I spin it around on the back you can see there's a heart rate monitor too.
I have to say the OLED screen here is the stand out feature, at least for me.
When you see just a regular clock face running on this device it really looks like it might not be a screen.
You have to sort of do a bit of a double take and investigate to check that is really is made up of pixels.
The G watch is running Androidware which is Google's version of Android.
Tweets specifically for smartwatch screens.
So what can you actually do with it?
Well it communicates with your phone over Bluetooth.
You'll need an Android phone running Android version 4.3 or later.
And then on the watch you'll be able to see notifications.
It does things like track your health, your steps.
Gives you updates about the weather and how far it will take to get to your next meeting, for example.
Finally, I want to end of something that I think is a really cool feature, this thing is water-resistant.
LG says you'll be able to hold it under water for a depth of up to one meter for 30 minutes, which means it should be fine in the shower.
It's gonna be coming out towards the end of this year.
Let me know what you think of the design and check out cnet.com/Reaper for much, much more.
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